Financial Services Administrator

Job description

Financial Services Administrators provide financial assistance and budget resources support to all military activities.

The primary duties of a Financial Services Administrator are to provide:

Financial administration and services

General office bookkeeping

Accounts payable and accounts receivable support

Budget management services

Transcript

Financial Services Administrator

OBERFRANK: No two days are the same – that’s the thing I love the best about this trade, about this job, about being in the Forces, about being in the Army.

BELLERIVE: I chose RMS because I’m the kind of person that likes to help everybody and this was a way to reward myself.

OBERFRANK: The Canadian Forces is a huge operation that employs over one hundred thousand people… and keeping things running smoothly is a huge undertaking. As Resource Management Support Clerks, or RMS Clerks as we’re commonly called, that’s our job.

BELLERIVE: We provide human resource administration and services… financial management… personnel support and general administration for all elements… Navy, Army, and Air Force.

LESLIE: Wherever you find Canadian Forces personnel, we’ll be there to support them.

BELLERIVE: This is one of the largest trades in the military. It offers a wide range of opportunities in many environments.

I’ve been an RMS clerk for just over three years serving with the Air Force. I’m posted to Canadian Forces Base Borden and I am Corporal Andrea Bellerive.

I’m Corporal Rachel Leslie from Toronto, Ontario. I’m an RMS clerk serving with the Army at Canadian Forces Support Unit, Ottawa. I like the fact that I’m able to work with individuals one-on-one, not just a member but my co-worker, and I also have an opportunity to do projects on my own.

OBERFRANK: Hi, I’m Master Corporal James Oberfrank, from Hamilton, Ontario, and I’m an RMS Clerk serving with the Army at Canadian Forces Base Borden, Ontario.

I like the fact that we’re involved right from the day someone walks into a recruiting centre, up to the day that they retire. RMS Clerks are responsible for some of the most important details in a CF member’s life… like making sure they get paid and that their benefits are all in order…

BELLERIVE: … or that their personal file is kept up-to-date when they get married or have a child. We worry about the details, so they don’t have to.

OBERFRANK: The role of an RMS Clerk is very diversified. You could be working in one of the many recruiting centres spread out across the country, guiding new applicants through the entry process.

Or you could be posted to an orderly room working hand-in-hand with one, or as many as thirty other RMS Clerks, where you’ll each have a specialized role.

BELLERIVE: In smaller units, we’re usually responsible for the full scope of

administrative and resource management tasks.

OBERFRANK: In addition to operational units, RMS Clerks are also employed in the CF’s medical organizations, schools, Reserve units, information system services, security and military police sections, and even in Military Attache offices around the world.

Wherever you’re stationed, you’ll be tasked with secondary duties. In the Army, you might be part of your unit’s Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defence team.

BELLERIVE: Even as an RMS Clerk, you may find yourself doing gas mask training.

OBERFRANK: If you’re in the Navy working onboard a ship, you’ll stand watch and participate in primary duties and maintenance. Or, you might have the opportunity to be trained as a ship’s diver… or be part of a boarding party, which is responsible for checking suspicious vessels.

BELLERIVE: In the Air Force, an RMS Clerk might be tasked as a flight attendant on the Canadian Forces Airbus.

What we do are not the kind of things you’d find in an average office job.

OBERFRANK: No matter which environment we’re working in, we’re an integral part of the team. When we’re deployed with a combat unit, we carry a personal weapon and perform security details.

An RMS Clerk could find themselves in a variety of roles from managing payroll to updating any one of our wide range of HR systems. They could find themselves employed domestically or internationally in an operational theater.

BELLERIVE: If you’re looking to travel, your chances are pretty high. You can go anywhere from Afghanistan to Egypt.

The first stage of training for everyone who chooses a career in the Forces is the thirteen-week Basic Military Qualification Course, or BMQ… and it’s no different for RMS Clerks.

BMQ is held at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. This is where you’re introduced to the basic core skills and knowledge common to all military trades.

OBERFRANK: Upon completing your BMQ, you’re ready for Basic Military

Occupational Training at the Canadian Forces School of Administration and Logistics in Borden, Ontario.

BELLERIVE: For eleven weeks, you’ll be immersed in the fundamental skills you’ll need on the job, such as financial management and accounting systems… claims and release processing… and personnel management.

OBERFRANK: After that, you’re ready for your initial posting, which could be at any one of the many bases and operational units across Canada or overseas, depending largely upon which environment you choose upon enrolment. The right person with the right skills and ambition can expand his or her career with advanced military occupational courses like Budgeting and Business Planning, Civilian Personnel Management, or Financial Accounting.

LESLIE: You’ve got to enjoy helping people and solving problems, because at the end of the day, everything we do comes down to that.

BELLERIVE: The work we do every day makes a huge difference in the lives of our fellow Forces members. If we can help them process paperwork efficiently, it frees them up and eases their minds, so they can go and do their jobs better.

It’s a great way to serve your country and your fellow Canadians. If you’re highly organized and energized by the challenge of administrative and finance, in one of the largest job forces in Canada… you should definitely consider becoming a Resource Management Support Clerk.

Overview

Working environment

Financial Services Administrators are employed at all Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) bases in Canada, on ships, and overseas, in support of Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy or Royal Canadian Air Force operations. They may also serve in special operation units, medical organizations, recruiting offices, schools, reserve units, NATO/UN positions, and other specialized units throughout the CAF. Opportunities are also available with embassies in countries where Canada has a military attaché.

Pay and career development

The starting salary for a fully trained Financial Services Administrator is $49,400 per year; however, depending on previous experience and training the starting salary may be higher. Financial Services Administrators who demonstrate the required ability, dedication and potential are selected for opportunities for career progression, promotion and advanced training.

Related civilian occupations

Training

Basic Military Qualification

The first stage of training is the Basic Military Qualification course, or Basic Training, held at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. This training provides the basic core skills and knowledge common to all trades. A goal of this course is to ensure that all recruits maintain the CAF physical fitness standard; as a result, the training is physically demanding but achievable.

Entry plans

Now hiring: we are now accepting applications for this job through direct entry.

Required Education

The minimum required education to apply for this position is the completion of the provincial requirements for Grade 10 or Secondaire IV in Quebec with Grade 10 applied math (math 426 in Quebec) and Grade 10 (Secondaire IV) English or French. Basic training and military occupation training is required before being assigned.

Part-time option

This occupation is available part-time within the following environments: Navy, Army, Air Force

Serve with the Reserve Force

This position is available for part-time employment with the Primary Reserve at certain locations across Canada. Reserve Force members usually serve part time in their community, and may serve while going to school or working at a civilian job. They are paid during their training. They are not posted or subject to a military move. However, they can volunteer to move to another base. They may also volunteer for deployment on a military mission within or outside Canada.

Part-time Employment

Financial Services Administrators may serve with the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Navy, or the Royal Canadian Air Force and experience the unique challenges associated with these environments. They can be employed providing financial support to military activities. When they are employed on a part-time or casual full-time basis they usually serve at a Canadian Armed Forces headquarters, home port or unit located within Canada.

Reserve Force training

Reserve Force members are trained to the same level as their Regular Force counterparts. They usually begin training with their home unit to ensure that they meet the required basic professional military standards. Following basic training, occupational training for Financial Services Administrators takes about 15 weeks and may be conducted at the Canadian Forces Logistics Training Centre in Borden, Ontario.

Working environment

Reserve Force members usually serve part-time with their home unit for scheduled evenings and weekends, although they may also serve in full-time positions at some units for fixed terms, depending on the type of work that they do. They are paid 85 percent of Regular Force rates of pay, receive a reasonable benefits package and may qualify to contribute to a pension plan.

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